Introduction

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Open Signals and Systems Laboratory Exercises is a collection of lab assignments that have been used in EE 224: Signals and Systems I in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. These lab exercises have been curated, edited, and presented in a consistent format to improve student learning.

The first lab exercise introduces students to the MATLAB environment and language with an emphasis on signal processing applications. Students solve a system of equations, manipulate complex numbers, vectorize an equation, and manipulate sound and image files. The next lab exercise reinforces the concepts of period and frequency by having students record the sound of a tuning fork and measuring characteristics of the audio signal. The third lab uses the impulse response of a system to simulate how things sound in different locations.

Labs four and five give students practice with frequency domain signal manipulation. Lab four explores various filter types, including notch and bandpass. Lab five has students compare the Fourier series coefficients of a tone played by a trumpet and a flute. Students also have the opportunity to make their own \instrument" by manipulating Fourier series coefficients. These lab exercises are somewhat long; we often give students two weeks to complete each of them.

The last two lab exercises in this collection focus on image processing. Lab 6 introduces students to basic pixel manipulation and displaying images in MATLAB. Lab 7 lets students apply two-dimensional filters for noise reduction and edge detection.

With a few exceptions noted above, these labs can usually be completed in a two hour lab session with students working in pairs. The collection presented here represents close to a full semester of lab exercises; instructors may wish to supplement this collection with labs covering modulation and sampling, or require a student project.